So You Think You Can Travel?

I started this blog to accompany my journey as a traveling Occupational Therapist (OT). <–seriously, check this out if you don’t know about OT, Barbara does an excellent job explaining OT and the similarities/differences from Physical Therapy (PT). OT was ranked by U.S. News and World Reports as one of the Top 50 Jobs of 2011, that’s Riiight! We’re Moving on up!

I started traveling a little over a year ago and I get a lot of questions about this lifestyle and Occupational Therapy.

Here’s the lowdown:

Travel healthcare providers are throughout a variety of professions: Nurses, OTs, PTs, and Speech and Language Pathologists (SLPs), are the most prevalent. Travel healthcare professionals are employed by a staffing company. The staffing company matches up the traveler with a facility. The Healthcare facilities are often short-staffed due to turn-over, maternity leave, or lack of medical based universities nearby. These facilities go to staffing companies to fill the positions with travelers. The staffing company is the middle man that makes it happen, however the traveler and the facility must agree upon certain details. The best part is the autonomy involved for the traveler (and the whole “paid living expenses” thing)! As a traveling OT, I have the option to look at jobs within a specific area or state (as long as I have an OT license for that state) and decide which assignment I would like to have and for how long I would like to stay in one place. A typical contract is 13 weeks (3 months). The staffing company will assist with housing, furniture, utilities, etc or they will pay you a housing stipend if you’re a control freak and want to do it yourself.

– Traveling with a pet is impossible: NOPE- I do it and actually most of the travelers I know have a dog(s).

-Travelers don’t have health insurance or benefits: National health insurance program with a 401K, baby!

–Traveling is a great fit for new grads: not really, it’s best to feel confident with your skills as a traveler because you have to adapt to a multitude of settings which may be rough for new grads who need mentors

–Travelers have to be single: He put a ring on it 5 years ago and he’s able to travel with me, we make it work!

MUST HAVE:

Traveling has some requirements besides a degree and a license:

-Sense of adventure

-Confidence in your skill set for various facilities

-Reliable vehicle that will make it from Cali to Maine if necessary!

-Flexibility AND Adaptability- some other traveler may get the Hawaii position, you have to be ready to go somewhere new at the click of the mouse! Adaptability because you have to be able to adapt to new working environments quickly.

PROS:

-Personal & professional growth

-Trial & error- you can test out a variety of cities, states, and settings with only a 13 week commitment!!

-Colorado for ski season, Boston in the summer, stop by National Parks- see the country & get paid!

-Networking- make connections across the country, you may want to go back someday!

CONS:

-Fear of the unknown- new city, new job, new apartment, new BED; every 13 weeks or so. I actually thrive off of the “new-ness”, but I know this would cause others to panic

-Loneliness missing family and friends, not knowing anyone at first

-No more “stuff”-as a traveler you can take what you can fit in your reliable car, or pay for shipping. This means clothes, toiletries and personal items that you can’t live without. Prepare to store or sell everything else. Most people hate this, again, it was one of my favorite things about getting on the road.

So that’s it. I would love to hear from other travelers about their experiences on the road!

About Mary @ Travel Sized Living

I'm a traveler by nature; I love to explore and I get a rush from being in new places. Luckily, I found a job that allows me and my family to change locations every 3 months! Our new challenge is to keep moving on while maintaining a healthy lifestyle!

Great perspective Mary. I have LOVED traveling. It’d be great to connect sometime through email or something to get more of your thoughts and ideas. We (my husband and I) are done traveling for now, but would totally recommend it for anyone looking for a great adventure!!

Thanks, Kara! So nice to “meet” another traveler out there, especially the rare traveling couple! I loved your pictures from Idaho….maybe I should put it on the list! 🙂 We should definitely keep in touch-it’s a small world of OTs out there!

Ha, that would be great, and I totally agree with you. If you choose Idaho, go north. Coeur d’Alene or further. This means more mountains. 🙂 Where have some of your favorite places been? Where are you working now? What does your husband do that makes him able to travel with you? That was our hardest part. Ok, enough questions for now. Have a great weekend!

Hi! I'm Mary, and yes, that is a glow stick on my head! Ha! I'm a Traveling Occupational Therapist, and I blog about changing locations every 3 months and all the ups & downs that go along with the traveler's lifestyle.

Email Me:

travelsizedliving@gmail.com

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